The only woman he ever loved
by CirceTheSorceress
Summary: Sad, Sad story. read it only if you are willing to cry. This is the first fic I ever finished. Tom Riddle and Caroline MacSlaghten. Enjoy!
1. The begining

Title : Fifty years ago  
  
Author: Circe the Sorceress  
  
Rating: R (I think)  
  
Warnings: language...romance...violence...TOM RIDDLE!!!  
  
Summary: It is the time when Voldemort is in school. Harry Potters grand mother Caroline MacSlaghten is also in school. There is a bit of Romance leading to some rather shocking stuff!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: not mine....I won't sell it for money...  
  
Caroline stepped off of the Hogwarts express and into the Hogsmeade station. It was crammed with students 11 to 17. Caroline ran quickly to the head of the throng and started instructing first years to board the boats waiting for them at the edge of the great lake. The gamekeeper, Jonathan Tolgen, waited for the children there, holding a bright lantern high over his gray head.  
  
Caroline stepped into the old mans embrace. "Hello there Caroline. I hear say that you made Head girl." Caroline beamed at her old friend.  
  
"Yes Tolgen, I did make Head Girl." The old man smiled, revealing gnarled teeth stained brown from all the coffee he drank.  
  
"And that Tom Riddle, he made Head boy then?" Caroline nodded, her smile fading away.  
  
"Sadly. That Slytherin boy's trouble. He may put on a good boy exterior for the professors, but he is not like that when there are only students 'round." Her Scottish accent could be heard clearly as she let what she thought of Tom Riddle be seen clearly in her eyes.  
  
Tolgen shook his head. "I know what you mean lass, I've had trouble with him on more than one occasion." Disapproval shone in his eyes as he thought about the handsome young muggle born lad. He was a Slytherin, and rightly so, he may not be pure blood, but he was all Slytherin, and tossed the word mud-blood around lightly, though he was one himself.  
  
Caroline whirled around as she heard the carriages begin to rumble forward. "I've got to go Tolgen, I'll see Ye latter." She embraced the old man once more then dashed off towards the carriages, managing to climb into the very last one before it started to rumble towards the castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. * * *  
  
Tom stared out of the window as his friends chatted amongst themselves. They relived vacations and games of quidditch among friends and family. Tom would not speak of his holidays. They where always dismal affairs.  
  
Tom lived in an orphanage over the summer, and stayed out of it as much as possible. He took several jobs to get out of the house and earn money, then, on the last week of vacation, the matron would take him down to Diagon alley and let him get his school shopping done.  
  
The orphanage paid for all of his school things, but he liked to have extra money to buy presents at Christmas, and occasionally, treat himself to a chocolate frog or fizzing whizbee on the Hogsmeade trips. So he went to girngots and exchanged his muggle money, getting allot of Galleons, sickles and Knuts in return.  
  
So now, as the carriages prepared to move, Tom stayed silent.  
  
The door to the carriage flew open just as it began to move. A red faced, panting, Caroline MacSlaghten climbed into the carriage, breathing deeply and settling in the seat next to Tom's.  
  
He smiled. The little red haired Scottish lass obviously had no idea she had climbed into a carriage full of Slytherins.  
  
"Well Hello there Miss. MacSlaghten. What brings you to our humble carriage?" said Tom, a smirk appearing on his face. Caroline looked up, shocked to be surrounded by these men, all Slytherins with nasty reputations and attitudes. She wished she had just missed the carriages all together.  
  
"Did you hear me Caroline?" Questioned Tom.  
  
"Yes I heard Ye." She answered, her voice reprimanding. "Now couldja please be quiet so this ride passes with little to non pain."  
  
Tom mocked sincerity as he placed his hand over his heart. "Caroline, I'm hurt..."  
  
"Ye'll be more hert when I'm through with Ye if Ye don keep yer trap shut." She cut him off.  
  
Tom scowled. "shut up before you say something you might regret." He warned, his fake sweetness gone.  
  
"Like yer a toad Riddle? Somathin like that do Ye mean?" She answered, keeping her voice even and locking his gaze with hers.  
  
"Yes, somathin like that." Said Tom, mocking her accent perfectly.  
  
"Oh, and Ye'll be wanen te call me Miss. MacSlaghten if Ye donna mind." She continued  
  
"Oh will I?" asked Tom, his voice laughing. His four friends in the carriages burst into laughter, egging there friend on.  
  
"Aye Ye will." Said Caroline with a nod.  
  
* * *  
  
The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the castle.  
  
Caroline was the first one out of the carriage. She heard peals of laughter follow her into the entrance.  
  
"Caroline!!!" she spun around, searching for the author of the voice that had called her name, then, she spotted him.  
  
"Hello Potter." She called back. "How was yer break?" the young man smiled.  
  
"Oh it was great, really splendid."  
  
"good. Have Ye gotten everythin Ye need fer the new school year then?"  
  
The chestnut haired boy fell into step next to her. "Yes, I do. So, let's see it then."  
  
"What do ye mean?" asked Caroline, though she knew full well what he meant.  
  
"The badge, It's hidden somewhere beneath all those cloths your wearing." Caroline laughed. "Ye'll be seein it soon enough when its sendin Ye to detention Charles Potter."  
  
He laughed Gaily. Then he took on a more serious tone. "So what did your parents say?" Caroline stayed quiet. "Caroline?"  
  
"They said we'll still be gettin married." Charles sighed.  
  
"I donna understand why there so intent on our marriage, but they are."  
  
Charles stopped walking. "Why don't they understand? we don't want to get married!!! We're more like friends than anything else, more like brother and sister, the idea of me and you..." He shivered.  
  
Caroline nodded. "I know 't'aint fair, but we donna get to choose who we be marrien, that's our parents job. I know it isn't right, but we donna have a say."  
  
Charles let out a groan. "Stop lecturing me on our places and talk you parents out of it! I'll talk to mine."  
  
Caroline nodded and continued towards the Great Hall as Charles fell into step with his friend Adam Ledger.  
  
* * * 


	2. The heads Duties and New Rooms

Tom watched her climb out of the carriage and scurry off towards the front Hall. His friends where still laughing as they entered the structure, but stopped when they spotted their fiancés and girlfriends. Then, they tried to act as sophisticated as possible.  
  
Tom made his way through the crowded hall to the Slytherin table. Christopher sat at the far end, petting some girls hair as she sat, reclining in his lap. Tom smiled. Chris had always been a lady's man.  
  
He crossed to where his friend was sitting and sat comfortably across from him. "How was the break Tom?" Asked Chris. Tom shook his head.  
  
"Dismal, just like the other summers before it." Chris grinned.  
  
"Well, now that you're back home, you'll be having a grand time. You've been made head boy?" Tom smiled.  
  
"Yes, I have. Dippet thinks I'll make a right Grand head boy along side Miss. MacSlaghten."  
  
Chris spewed out the pumpkin juice he had been sipping. "MacSlaghten?" He said. "She's been made head girl?" Tom nodded. "Yes. The little blood traitor has been made head girl. I don't see why though, she's not really a leader if you know what I mean."  
  
"Not really a leader am I?" came the voice of Caroline. "Now what would a leader be in yer book Mr. Riddle? A bully who spends his days terrorizen young bairn's?" Tom scoweled.  
  
"No Miss. MacSlaghten, a leader is someone people look up to and you," he stood up, towering some 12 inches above her. "You are looked up to by none but first years." It was Caroline's turn to scowl.  
  
"I've come to tell Ye there'll be a meeting for ye, me and the headmaster. Be at Dippet's office in an hour Mr. Riddle." With that she swept off to the Gryffindor table.  
  
* * *  
  
Caroline and professor Dippet waited impatiently in his office for tom to appear. When He finally did, (30 minutes late) Dippet breathed in a sigh of relief.  
  
"Well, glad you made it Riddle, what kept you?" said the headmaster in that breathlessly quick tone of his.  
  
"Sorry professor, some 3rd years where fighting, I had to break it up and see them to their common rooms." Tom looked slyly over at Caroline. She caught a glimpse of what looked like bright red lipstick on his neck, just under his ruffled collar and a grape colored mark just bellow it. But then he shifted his shoulders, hiding it from view and smiling at her in that nonchalant manner of his.  
  
Caroline rolled her eyes in disgust.  
  
"Now, I've asked you two to come here so I can fill you in a little more, I know you where both well informed over the holidays, but I think you need to be told a little more."  
  
Both tom and Caroline nodded. "Ok then, right, well you two are the most important people in the school right next to the staff. When something goes wrong and there is a brawl, The teachers will most likely ask you to handle it. You are in charge of keeping new and old students inline as well as organizing school events, like quidditch matches and approving practice schedules.  
  
"The feasts and dances are in your care as are the organizations for any extracurricular activities. I want you to organize Hogsmeade weekends and if there is a problem with anyone's class schedule I want you to take care of that as well."  
  
Tom and Caroline both sat motionless. They didn't know how they where going to fit all this is with all of there school work.  
  
"Also, I expect you to take care of the prefects as far as getting them settled in and organizing their meetings. You two will also need to have meetings so that you can plan everything, I think twice a week should suffice. You two work out the specifics."  
  
At this, Caroline's jaw dropped. She would have to have meetings with this jerk twice a week? She glanced at him. He was unmoving, careful not to expose his feelings in front of the headmaster.  
  
The headmaster stood up. "So now you know what is expected of you, I will have some one show you to your rooms. Corine! Callerth!" instantly it seemed, two house elves appeared beside him. "Could you please escort Mr. Riddle and Miss. MacSlaghten to their rooms?"  
  
"Yes sir." Squeaked the house elves in unison. Tom and Caroline stood up and shook hands with the professor. "Thank you Professor Dippet." Said tom in his most grown up tone.  
  
"Yes, Thank Ye." Echoed Caroline in her Scottish brogue. The headmaster smiled.  
  
"Of course."  
  
With that the two house elves whisked them out of the room.  
  
* * * They made their way down the winding halls of Hogwarts in silence. They took long strides to keep up with the little house elves, who seemed eager to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.  
  
Then, all of the sudden, the house elves split up, Caroline's going to the right and up a staircase, and Toms going to the left and down. Caroline glanced briefly at Tom, nodding a good bye and scurrying off to keep up with Corine.  
  
Tom followed Callerth down hallway after hallway, until they came to a familiar corridor. It was the one that led to the Slytherin common room, but it only passed the entrance by, taking two more passageways down before it stopped.  
  
"Your quarters sir." Squeaked the tiny elf as it pointed at a life size statue of Salazar Slytherin. "Master has only to say 'silver spoon' and he may enter. The password works for none but you master Riddle." Tom nodded at the house elf, signaling that it could leave. It vanished with a pop.  
  
"Silver Spoon" said Tom, his voice ringing throughout the corridor. At once, the eye's on the statue flew open and the statue began to speak.  
  
"Who wishes to enter these chambers that I guard?"  
  
"It is I Oh Great Founder, Tom Riddle." The statue bowed his head.  
  
"Enter child." It said as a door materialized beside it. Tom reached for the handle and opened the oaken door.  
  
The room was decorated in silver and green. His house banner hung at the head of his large canopy bed. He pulled back the hangings which where a see through shimmery silver color. His covers where a deep green with silver snake patterns on them. The fixtures around the room where molded as snakes and the drapes by the window that fluttered in the breeze where silver with green snakes.  
  
At the foot of his bed was his trunk. Tom smiled. He was truly home.  
  
* * *  
  
Corine left Caroline outside of her room with the word "Jitterbug." She stared at the statue of the sphinx that supposedly hid her room.  
  
"Jitterbug."  
  
The statue sprang to life and started to prowl around her.  
  
"Name?" Caroline was petrified.  
  
"C-c-c-Caroline MacSlaghten." The sphinx smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.  
  
"Have a good night Miss. MacSlaghten." She said. Then she returned to her place while a door materialized to the left of her.  
  
Caroline pushed open the heavy oaken door. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. The room was grand, decorated in Gryffindor colors with lions instead of snakes adorning her fixtures and drapes. Golden Lions set of the deep red of her velvet covers. She stared around the room in wonder. At the foot of her bed was a large black trunk with the Hogwarts crest in the center.  
  
She took off her cloak, setting it on the trunk. She walked to the other side of the room. Against the wall was a beautiful cherry wood vanity, and on the other side of her bed was a desk of the same material. The desk already had a plethora of supplies on it, as did the vanity.  
  
She sat down at the desk and opened the drawers. In the second one she found a little red leather bound diary. She pulled it out and closed the compartment. She set the diary swiftly before her and surveyed it for only a few seconds, taking in the Gryffindor lion on the front along with the name, "Caroline Olivia MacSlaghten". She opened it, turning the pages to somewhere in the middle where the writing stopped. She quickly dipped a quill into a conveniently located ink well and began to write. 


	3. Herbology and arranged meetings

Chapter three.  
  
Herbology and arranged meetings.  
  
* * *  
  
September 1, 1947  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
It feels so good to be back at Hogwarts. I'm Head Girl now and believe me; I'm enjoying the accommodations. My room is gorgeous, decorated in my house colors with the Gryffindor banner over my bed.  
  
When I got off the train I ushered the first years to the boats. Tolgen was there of course and we chatted about me being Head Girl, then, the subject of Head Boy came up. You will never believe who was made Head Boy! Tom Riddle! That stupid suck up. He thinks he is so good because he is Slytherin and one of the teachers favorite students.  
  
He infuriates me with his nonchalance and that smirk! I'm going to slap it off of his face I swear! We had a meeting with Professor Dippet and he was some 30 minutes late. He gave some lame excuse about breaking up a fight, but I saw the marks on his neck. No doubt he was necking with that horrid Slytherin girl Rose Parkinson.  
  
To top it all off, I'm going to have meetings with him twice a week! Twice a week!!! That's time I would much rather be spending doing school work. N.E.W.T.S. are coming up at the end of the year and I doubt I'll have enough time to prepare for them.  
  
My life would be so much easier if Tom Riddle would just disappear.  
  
~ Caroline ~  
  
She closed the diary and slipped it back into the desk. She blew out the dwindling wax candle beside the ink pot and climbed into her bed, relishing the feel of the fine quality sheets against her skin. She snuggled deeper into the covers and tried to clear her mind of worries, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the infuriating thoughts of Tom.  
  
* * *  
  
"So how where the accommodations mate?" Teased Chris as he sat opposite Tom at the breakfast table. Tom smiled indulgently. "Wonderful, maybe, if you treat me well enough, I'll let you see them." Chris burst out into a booming laughter.  
  
"Good morning Mr. Riddle. You approved of your quarters I trust?" Tom looked up from his plate and Met the gaze of an old looking wizard with a magnificent chestnut beard streaked gray. His robes where a dark red color and his hat matched.  
  
Tom quickly averted his eyes. "Professor Dumbledore." He mumbled. "Yes, I liked them very much." Dumbledore nodded. "Good, Good Tom, I hope that your new Head-Boyship is an asset to this school. Good Day Mr. Riddle."  
  
Tom followed Dumbledore with his eyes as he continued past the Slytherin table, greeting many other students on his way to the staff table. Among them, was Caroline. Tom saw Him greet her warmly and Caroline beamed a smile at the professor.  
  
Tom shook his head in disgust. That Muggle loving professor was without a doubt the worst thing about being at Hogwarts. Dumbledore kept an annoyingly close watch on him. After his fifth year, Tom knew it wouldn't be safe to open the chamber of secrets again because Dumbledore was always watching, always suspicious. How Tom wished the old man would die, no, how he wished he could kill the mud-blood loving old fool. Oh, that would be sweet, to be the end of him.  
  
Tom watched Dumbledore take his seat next to Professor Dippit. They where far to close for Toms comfort. Suppose Dumbledore poisoned Dippit against him? Tom shook the thoughts from his head. Dumbledore had not managed to sway Dippit against him yet, why would he be able to now, in his last year?  
  
Tom looked back at the Gryffindor table where Caroline sat between several of her friends talking animatedly while eating her plate of ham and eggs. She would be a problem and he knew it. There had to be a way to keep her out of the way...If only he could open the chamber. No. Dumbledore was and always would be a problem. He couldn't open the chamber while he was still at school. He would have to wait for his diary to fall into the right, or wrong hands.  
  
He would have to think of some other way to keep her out of his business. If she ever found out about him and his friends... Well, that would definitely put an end to his Headboyship. Head Boys did not practice dark arts with their friends, and Head Boys most certainly did not sneak out at night to go to the forest. If he were to be spending so much of his time with Caroline...he would have to devise a way to keep her conveniently in the dark about himself.  
  
Instead of worrying himself over it, Tom directed his attention back to Chris who was describing in much detail an interlude with his latest girl the night before.  
  
But out of the corner of his eye, Tom watched Caroline chattering with her friends. Yes. She would have to be dealt with.  
  
* * *  
  
it was bright out as Caroline made her way swiftly to green house 12 with Charles. It as the last class of the day with the Slytherins. "Did you get a load of the homework that new transfiguration teacher assigned. McGonnegal will be a very hard professor this term, thank God we only have her for a year." Caroline nodded as Charles rambled on about the lesson they had just come from.  
  
When they got into the green house professor Sprout was waiting patiently for them by a rather large and dangerous looking plant they had not studied yet. "Hello class." She called above the din of chatter. The 7th years quickly quieted and allowed the professor to continue. "Now has anyone heard of the Venus fly trap?" most students raised there hands. "Good, Good. Well, this here is a cousin of that plant. It is called a Neptunian Hawk trap. As you can imagine, it is a great deal more dangerous than the Venus flytrap, and is capable of killing up to 3 people with a single snap." The students began to whisper and glance nervously about at each other.  
  
Professor Sprout laughed. 'Don't you worry though, this hawk trap is kept well sedated and is well trained. All I want you to do today is tend to it. You will need to collect the flowers sprouting around the base and the saliva dripping from its mouth. We will learn about it next time, but Madame Pomfrey has been at me for a week to get her some saliva so she can mix up some potion or other. So why don't you just do that for a while. There are containers to catch the saliva over there by Ms. Black and over by Ms. MacSlaghten you will find clippers for the flowers. Now get to work class." With that, Professor Sprout took a seat by the window, pulled out a book and began to read, letting the students go about their business.  
  
Caroline picked up a pair of silver clippers and made her way cautiously towards the giant plant. It gave a shudder, causing several frightened girls and boys alike to leap back with looks of horror on their faces.  
  
Caroline fought the urge to run and stepped quickly forward to clip off a few flowers. The other students, seeing that she was still alive, followed suit. After about 30 minutes of clipping away, Caroline felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned swiftly, expecting to see Charles or another of her friends. It was, however, Tom who she saw standing impatiently behind her.  
  
"What do Ye want Riddle?" she growled "Not attitude." Snapped Tom in an uncharacteristically curt tone. There was no smirk as he scowled and told her there first meeting would be that night after dinner in the prefects library.  
  
"Don't ye think ye should ask me whether tonight is a good time fer me Mr. Riddle?" Tom smiled cruelly.  
  
"No." he answered before turning his back and rejoining the Slytherins at the other side of the giant Hawk Trap.  
  
* * * 


End file.
